Pride
by Masayo
Summary: “If you want to go, take someone else,” Natsuki turned her back on Shizuru about to leave “I prefer being ‘stuck in a rut’ as you say,” she stormed off. Amber eyes moisten, a single clear crystal tear slid down an ivory cheek.


~I own nothing~

* * *

_You are cordially invited to The Suzushiro Annual Ball_

_On Saturday 18th of June_

_At 8pm_

Natsuki's eye twitched when she read the invite on the fridge. If it wasn't bad that it was from the annoying blond Haruka Suzushiro but if there was one thing that Natsuki hated with a passion it was dances, parties, and most definitely balls.

Placing the milk carton back in the fridge Natsuki snatched down the invitation and made her way to her brunette lover. Shizuru stood by the porch, an elegant looking vase in front of her as she arranged assortment of flowers into a piece of art. Her cream and gold kimono hugged her form; the soft breeze blowing her coffee colored hair.

"Is something the matter, koishii?" amber eyes focused on the perfection of her craft. A slight frown of concentration marred her brow. Natsuki placed a hand on her hip while thrusting the other out with the invite.

"Tell me we aren't going to this," she all but demanded. Her glare of disdain for what the note held clearly written on her face. Shizuru looked up at her. Amber eyes blinking innocently.

"I thought it would be fun," she stated in a obvious tone "And it would get us out of our rut that we're stuck in," Natsuki crossed her arms and frowned

"We're not stuck in a rut," she grumbled. Shizuru sighed and went back to arranging her flowers

"Then what do you call it?" she asked quietly, fingering a soft petal of a water lily. "We hardly go anywhere or do anything but stay at home or you work on your bike," Natsuki huffed and looked way from the slight down cast expression of you amber eyed lover. She focused her green eyes out over the garden.  
It was true that they hardly did anything anymore. They're life had become very monotonous. Get up, go to work, come home, have dinner, watch TV, go to bed, and then start the whole process over again the next day. Natsuki didn't mind it though, she liked a quiet simple life but obviously her beloved didn't share her same feels on the matter.

"I'm not going," she gritted out through clenched teeth. Not matter if they're relationship was stuck in a rut as Shizuru seemed to think, Natsuki was not going to the ball.

"But Nat-"

"If you want to go take someone else," Natsuki turned her back on Shizuru about to leave "I prefer being 'stuck in a rut' as you say," she stormed off. Amber eyes moisten, a single clear crystal tear slid down an ivory cheek to fall on one of the pretty flowers.

"Oh, Natsuki,"

* * *

As the days drew near the Suzushiro Annual Ball neither the blue haired beauty nor the golden eyed queen talked to each other. Natsuki took to spending her time in the garage with her motorcycle while Shizuru putted around the house and garden sometimes throwing Natsuki sad glances or sighing when she passed by the garage. The atmosphere in their quiet domain was depressingly thick. Neither would give.

Shizuru didn't push her suit with her lover hoping instead that Natsuki would change her mind and do something for her for once. Natsuki on the other grew more agitated as the dance came closer. She loved the tea loving woman but why of all things did she want to go to that stupid party?

'_Doesn't she remember what happened at last year's ball?_' Natsuki threw a wrench at the closed garage door at the memory.

_All had been going well at the dance. Good food, good drink, and decent company. That is until Nao had made her way to Natsuki's side. The blue hair woman tried to ignore the spider woman by paying more attention to what Mai was saying than what was needed._

"_Kuga, Shizuru wants to see you," Nao whispered in her ear. Her emerald green eyes were trained on the small group around them. Natsuki gave a quick glance around to see where Shizuru was but couldn't see her anywhere. "She wouldn't have sent me if she wasn't here herself, stupid," Nao hissed in her ear. _

_Nao turned swiftly away and made her way to the very back of the room to disappear through a servant's door. Natsuki hesitated for a second before following the red head. _

_As soon Natsuki stepped through the door she knew something wasn't right. The so called servant's door led to a small almost bare storage room._

"_Ok, what's going Nao?" the blue haired girl crossed her arms in front her. "Obviously Shizuru didn't send for me,"_

"_I need your help," Nao gritted out. Not happy about asking the wolf woman for help._

"_What did you do now?" Natsuki sighed. Nao turned a slight shade of red._

"_One of…my suitors won't leave me alone," she shuffled her feet not making eye contact with the other girl. Natsuki raised a brow, looking at the red head questioningly._

"_What do you want me to do about it?"_

"_Just pretend you're my girlfriend," Nao nearly gagged just saying it. "If he thinks I'm…you know…gay then he'll leave me alone,"_

"_Why me? Why not someone else?" Natsuki glared at her._

"_Because he'd easily believe I'd go out with someone look you than the others any day,"_

_Natsuki shook her head "No," she turned to go back out to the party. Her hand poised to turn the knob when they noticed it was turning by itself. The next thing Natsuki knew she was being spun around so fast that she fell on top of Nao, who had wrapped her slender body around hers in a compromising position. _

_The door opened to reveal Shizuru, Mai, and Mikoto. The three women stood there shocked at the two on the floor of the storage room. Natsuki turned a bright red, that raveled a tomato, in embarrassment. _

"_Sh-Sh-Shizuru," Natsuki squeaked. Jumping up as fast as she could making sure to punch Nao in the stomach to let her go "It's not what it looks like! I swear!" Shizuru just gave her, her usual blank calm smile in place. _

"_I know," She turned and left. Mai and Mikoto who had been watching silently from the side lines watched the tall brunette walk off. Natsuki shot Nao a death glare before running after her amber eyed lover. _

It had taken hours of reassuring that there was nothing going on between herself and Nao. And a couple of weeks of making it up to Shizuru because she felt guilty that she had gotten herself into that situation even though she knew Shizuru had forgiven her.

Raking her hand threw her long midnight blue hair Natsuki glanced outside the small window set high in the wall of the garage to it was almost sunset. Seeing that there wasn't much keeping her there she made her way back to the house.

Natsuki paused when she saw Shizuru walk out of their room. She was gowned in a long luscious plum satin colored dress. It v-ed down just a bit, a matching belt with a sparkly black clasp wrapped just under the bust line, ribbon like straps snaked up and over her slender shoulders to cross in the middle of her shoulder blades with a slight twist to the cross section. At the lower back the material gathered slightly in the middle with graceful folds that led to a small train.

Shizuru honey brown hair was mostly pulled up in ringlets with strategically placed loose tendrils falling down her back and a few wisps framing her heart shaped face. Make up highlighted her natural beauty; she wore only chandelier earrings with matching necklace and a small bracelet.

It took all what Natsuki had not for her mouth to fall open at the vision of her lover. Shizuru's sad eyes looked at Natsuki once before quietly walking past her to the door and leaving without a word. Natsuki was brought out of her daze at the sound of the door gently closing.

She winced for once again she had hurt the only person she loved. By not putting an effort to try and work out their problem and figure a way to better their relationship Natsuki had again caused pain to her lover.

'_I'm just an idiot!_' she yelled at herself. '_What the hell is wrong with me?_' sighing she knew the only way she could make it up to only one that loved her she walked over to the phone and dialed an all too familiar number.

* * *

Lights glittered from crystal chandeliers, music floated through the large ball room, people dancing in the middle of the room or gathered off to the side to converse with each other, servants weaved through the crowed with silver trays of food and drinks. It was warm with the crush of a thousand of warm bodies, the air slightly stuffy with perfume, and the noise level pressed on the ears.

Shizuru stood off to the side watching everyone around her. A sad expression marring her beautiful face.

"Good evening Shizuru," a snide voice came from her side. Shizuru turned to see Nao standing beside her arrogant look on her pointed face. "Is Kuga to good now to show to these events?" Shizuru's face didn't portray anything but a mask of calm pleasantness but now she remembered. '_Oh my poor Natsuki,_' she inwardly winced '_I totally forgot what happened last year. No wonder she refused to come,_'

"No, she has business to attend to which unfortunately prevents her from attending," Shizuru replied sweetly. Her mind raced to think up something so she could slip away and head back home to her beloved. To tell her that she was sorry for not understanding.

"You don't have to make up excuses for her," Nao remarked snatching a champagne class from a passing server "She always did think herself far above the rest of us," Shizuru's ember eyes narrowed a fraction.

"I believe your perception of my beloved is gravely mistaking," Shizuru's ever calm voice held just a bit of ice. "She cares deeply of others and does everything in her power to protect them," Nao just rolled her eyes and make an "hn" sound. "Before judging others I suggest you should take a long hard look at the mirror. I have no doubt you'll see your true enemy lies there," and with that Shizuru swiftly glided away leaving a shocked and annoyed Nao in her wake.

Shizuru made to leave the large ball room when she felt a gentle but firm touch on her arm. She looked to see Yukino holding her back. Yukino shyly smiled up at the tall brunette.

"Thank you for the wonderful time, Yukino but-"

"She's here," Yukino interrupted her. She pointed across the room to the large double doors thrown back to let people come and go. Shizuru's eyes followed in that direction until she spotted a breathtaking vision.

There stood slightly to the left of the entrance was Natsuki. She was dressed in a short satin blue dress that fell just before the knees. It v-ed down to the bust line, a blue lace with deeper blue and diamond colored crystals clasped at the middle of the bust line, blue satin ribbon like straps held bead work of blue and white crystals and wrapped around the neck revealing her creamy slender back. Her long deep blue hair was simply pulled back in a simple but elegant braided bun, a white flower tucked in the silky bun. She wore little make up and no jewelry.

Natsuki looked like a water nymph the way the blue satin hugged and swayed around her. Her moves graceful and seductive even though she didn't know it. Shizuru's eyes drank in the vision, darkening with lust at her little water sprite.

Natsuki finally found the person she was looking for and she made her way through the mill of people to her tea goddess. Shizuru met her half way.

"Shizuru…I…I just…I'm," Natsuki was at a loss of words. Shizuru smiled.

"It's ok Koishii. I'm sorry too," Natsuki blushed.

"I know I'm not good at it but would you…uhm…like to dance?" she asked. Trying to break the awkward silence between them.

"You know what?" Shizuru asked turning Natsuki around and sliding her arm around Natsuki's waist "I think I've had quiet enough dancing tonight. Let's go home," she guided Natsuki back the way she came from.

"It's ok Shizuru. You don't have to leave because of me," Natsuki tried to stop but Shizuru wouldn't have none of it. Leaning over just slightly so she could breath into her ear so no one might hear her she said

"Oh, I'd much rather prefer to go home, seiteki," Natsuki's face turned a bright crimson. "I know many ways that we can both say we're sorry," Shizuru whispered seductively.

Natsuki knew her pride could get in the way sometimes but when it came to Shizuru she didn't if it was pride anymore or the way she liked to get in fights just for this reason. At this point she didn't care as long as they both got what they wanted in the end. Each other.

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^^This is for Koko-chan's 250 word challenge (That is why I wanted your list nee-chan XD). This is my welcome back gift to her. I hope you like it.

Seiteki means Sexy ^_~

~Enjoy~


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